The financial crisis shows the fragility of urban models preached to the Global South. Instead, it is useful to consider the wider implications of how land politicizes urban India in 'ground – up' ways and shapes a subaltern globalization. An 'Occupancy Urbanism', these processes are constituted of small inter-connected firms and underpinned by multiple porosities: occupancy of terrain; diverse legalities and land tenures; 'un-branded' economy; and the social appropriation of municipal government. These processes have a history of stealthy politics that threatens the metro elite, who now seek new forms to protect their political and financial clout.